In fly shuttle looms which utilize picker sticks to propel weft carrying shuttles back and forth through the shed usually have picker stick bumpers or checks of the fixed position type mounted on the loomsides or assembled on the loom in such a location so as to arrest further inward movement of a picker stick after performance of its intended function. These picker stick bumpers or checks are usually made from leather, rubber or the combination of both or of some other resilient material which will satisfactorily serve the same purpose.
Examples of picker stick bumpers or checks that employ bumpers of the type which yield to the directional forces of the picker sticks are disclosed in the teachings of U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,529,896; 1,741,047 and 3,052,267. These bumpers are pivoted and offer resistance to and arrest the picker stick by means of coil and torsional type springs as well as rubber torsional bushings such as disclosed in the above U.S. Pat. No. 3,052,267.
As is well known to those conversant in the weaving art, the loom's lay beam during loom operation is subjected to continuance pivotal movement by the loom's rocker shaft between so-called front and back center positions. The loom's picker sticks also carried by the rocker shaft and being caused to move in a plane substantially normal to the path of movement of the lay beam are caused to pivot concurrently with the latter. The combination of a picker stick moving to propel a shuttle through a warp shed and its pivotal movement with the lay beam causes said picker stick at the end of its picking strode to strike the picker stick bumper, that is attached to the loomside, with a wiping or rubbing blow.
With picker stick bumpers of both the fixed and yielding type this wiping or rubbing blow on the bumper surface by the picker stick at the end of its picking stroke initiates what is considered premature wear to the bumper material as well as said picker stick.
With bumpers which are fixed to the loomside, and not yieldable additional problems exist such as greater shock loading on the picker stick and parallel assembly during loom operation as well as high bumper loads being transmitted to the loomsides in the area where the bumpers are attached thereto.
The picker stick check according to the present invention has corrected the problems described above by providing a loomside mounted picker stick bumper of the floating type. This bumper includes an inner fixedly disposed bumper element and an outer bumper element operatively associated with said inner bumper element. Both bumpers have a common support means and the outer bumper element is assembled thereto in a manner to provide freedom of movement thereof when struck by the picker stick at the end of its picking stroke. The outer bumper element is capable of moving inwardly toward the loomside when struck by the picker stick and at the same time to yield in a rearwardly direction thereby preventing the wiping or rubbing movement of the picker stick on the outer surface of said outer bumper element.